Hunters and Monsters
by Acerze
Summary: For a long time, the Grimm and the Hunters of Remnant were in a stalemate. But that was changing. New species of Grimm are emerging. Unfortunately for them, there's a new hunter who's already all too familiar with how to fight them.
1. Chapter 1: One Hunter

**A few of you may have seen my other story, Intersection. I decided that was a bit too tough for an amateur like me to handle, so I decided to reuse some base concepts (and a character) and start simpler. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Hunters and Monsters**

 **Chapter 1: One Hunter**

Port Tanzia was a model seaside trading town. Covered from one end of the shore to the other in a colorful assortment of buildings of all kinds of materials. Not only was its location a prime spot for sea trade, but it also had the fortune of being an important junction of land travel as well. The majority of its architecture was primitive wood and stone with some buildings even having parts made out of bone, along with colorful cloth spread everywhere as shade for patios, bazaars, and other means of relaxation and business. And business was booming.

The continent Port Tanzia was located on was largely covered in wilderness, including scorching deserts, rainy swamps, frozen tundras, any kind of ecosystem. Civilization was sparse and far apart. There were a few large cities, but most of the settlements around the continent consisted of small villages. Port Tanzia could be considered one of the large cities, just for the sheer number of people present at any time. But unlike other large defensive cities, like the Fortress City of Dundorma, Port Tanzia did not have a high number of permanent residents. The population consisted of traveling merchants, business owners, and a rotation-based garrison for defense. But these cities did not need defense from invasions or wars. No, they needed defense from something far more primal: the wildlife of the world. The creatures of this world are powerful enough that they earned a blanket term for all the wildlife out there:

Monsters.

Monsters were by and large, just animals. But what set them apart was their sheer size and abilities. Most dwarfed humans, and even if they didn't, all could be deadly to the unprepared. They also came in all shapes and sizes, from mammals like mammoths to reptiles like wyverns and dragons. Luckily most monsters could be categorized as territorial or predatory, operating purely off of instinct. They had no reason to purposely seek out humans when there was other prey around, and generally didn't cause any issues if they were left alone. But inevitably, some conflict would arise.

Because civilization must move forward, despite the deadly fauna of the world, the Hunter's Guild was formed. Now the largest organization on the continent, the Guild had a presence in almost every settlement, even the smallest villages typically had at least one guild representative. The guild's job was simple, take requests concerning monsters for a fee, and use some of that fee to pay a hunter to handle said requests. Hunters were specifically trained to handle monsters, and had to have a wide range of survival skills, knowledge of monsters, and mastery of the various types of weapons that existed. But becoming a hunter was easy, it was rising through the ranks to handle the tougher requests that was difficult. A low rank hunter could be asked to do something as simple as gather honey out in the wilderness, while the highest rank, G-rank, could be asked to face down monsters that were once revered as Gods in older teachings. The ranking system not only helped to minimize casualties, and it did so remarkably well, but also to enable paying work to be available in a more organized manner.

Large cities typically had large guild presence. While fortresses like Dundorma had a garrison of hunters on duty at any time, ports like Port Tanzia typically relied on whatever hunters were working in the area. Luckily for the port, there was a lot of work to be done, and a lot of hunters to do it. Sometimes, the port officials had more hunters to call on for help than even those garrisoned cities.

One such hunter was currently wandering down the Port's cobbled paths, looking around the various markets that sprouted up all around the city. He was covered in head to toe with scaly, white plate armor lined with a dark teal trim, along with a flourishing hide trench coat with the same color palette. His name is Auren, one of the youngest G-rank hunters to ever work in the guild. He started hunting at the tender age of 11, under the guidance of a experienced veteran. In seven short years, he managed to prove himself in many decisive jobs, and was rewarded with the highest rank possible.

The boy was proud of his accomplishments, with every right, but he was known for being friendly and humble. If not a bit too polite at times. He was well-liked, enjoyed guiding and being helpful to others.

He took a detour around to a more secluded alley, hoping to take a shortcut to his destination market, but spotted a strangely dressed person sitting behind a plain wooden table. There was a deck of cards spread across the top. The person was wearing light beige robes, and a hood that covered their face, but judging from the curves and body shape, the person was a woman.

"You there, Hunter." The woman called out, her voice rich but soft, a higher-pitched maturity evident in it.

"Me?" Auren stopped walking, pointing to himself. He realized it was a bit foolish, since they were the only two in the alleyway. The woman herself didn't show it, but she was surprised by the youthfulness of his voice. His helmet covered his face, and his stature and build made him appear like an older man.

"Yes, do you have a moment to spare?" The woman asked him.

"Sure," Auren approached the table, taking off his helmet to talk face-to-face. It revealed a young man with wavy dark brown-hair, clean-shaven, with bright hazel eyes, almost gold when in the sunlight. His face itself was lean and chiseled, but he still retained some boyish roundness, similar to a child. In short, a healthy young adult, with hints of his teenage appearance still present. "How can I help you?"

"I was curious, you're wearing some finely crafted armor. Barioth materials, am I right?" The woman looked him up and down. Auren frowned internally when she didn't remove her hood, but didn't let it bother him too much.

"Yeah that's right, Barioth X armor. That was a fun one to hunt." Auren nodded, a grin forming on his face. He had a certain fondness for the monster called the Barioth. Considered a type of winged wyvern, the creature had quite a few feline characteristics. It was covered in white scales (the same ones used in Auren's armor), with four legs and a nimble, lithe body. It's wings extended from it's front limbs, like gliders, and it had a long, scaly, and dexterous tail that it used like a devastating whip. But most of all, it had some control over ice-based attacks, and could summon small blizzards or bombard its opponents with ice shards. It was also one of the first monsters that Auren hunted, with help, of course. After he grew as a hunter, he went and hunted one down on his own, and had the materials he gained fashioned into the set of armor he currently wore. It was quite comfortable and easy to keep cool in, given the icy properties of the creature it was made from.

"Oh? And your weapon? You don't have one on you." The woman noted. Auren briefly wondered why she was asking these strangely personal questions, but he decided it was a simple curiosity towards a well-equipped hunter.

"I'm pretty familiar with all the different kinds of weapons, actually. And I didn't think I'd be hunting anything on my stroll through town this fine afternoon," Auren replied with a raised eyebrow. The woman laughed melodically. Auren found it quite charming.

"Still, it must've taken quite a few to get that armor." She mused.

"No, just one."

"Hm? Really? You must have generous teammates. Did they give you all of the reward materials?"

"Oh, no. I hunted this one by myself." Auren clarified, the woman looking at him with surprise at his words.

"Wha-, at your age?"

"I've been hunting for a while now."

"...What rank are you?"

"G-Rank Master Class."

The woman noticeably gasped, falling silent in thought afterwards. Auren stood silently for a few moments, waiting for her to speak.

"You're just about the right age too..." she suddenly murmured to herself.

"Huh? What'd you say?" Auren frowned, straining his ears to listen.

"Hey you, why are you a hunter?" She snapped out of her muttering, asking him with a clear and strong voice.

"Me?" Auren asked, surprised, "Uh... It's just my dream. I wanted to see the world, and help others. Y'know, any little kid's dream. I just somehow managed to make it come true."

"Simple and honest, I like it." The woman said approvingly.

"Thanks...I guess?" Auren enjoyed listening to her voice, but this conversation had been pretty weird the whole time.

"Listen, if you had the opportunity to help strangers in need, would you?"

"Of course, I mean, it's my job."

"Even if it was dangerous? If you could die?"

"I know people sometimes forget, but hunting is a pretty deadly profession, the Guild is just good at keeping us alive."

"That's true...What if I told you that there were whole countries in danger, and that their people could be totally wiped out."

"I've faced down Elder Dragons that could do that. You'd just have to tell me where and let the guild know." Auren said simply. It wasn't even a difficult question for him. He got to where he was by helping others.

"Haha," The woman giggled, but this time there was a certain sadness to her voice, "The guild can't help I'm afraid. But if you're willing, you could go and help them."

"Helping people is good but...what are you talking about? Are there people actually in danger?" Auren hadn't heard anything about any Elder Dragons becoming active recently. Those creatures could be considered forces of nature, and typically required huge guild response in order to avert catastrophic damage. Some were small in size but with ridiculous powers, others were a threat simply due to their sheer size.

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling a bit." The woman apologized, taking a few deep breaths, "Listen, would you help these strangers from a different land, no, pretty much a different world, even if it meant giving up everything you have here?"

"Miss...or Lady, I don't know." Auren began, trying to answer honestly, "It's simple, I'm a hunter. I don't really have family, and my teacher passed peacefully of old age, with me being his last student. Even if I did, if I could help these people, whether or not I'm the only one or I'm just one of many, I would help. It's what I do."

The woman fell silent. Once again, she seemed to be lost in thought, "What's your name?" she finally spoke up.

"Auren."

"I'm...well, I'm just a lost person. The truth is, the place in danger is my home. But I can't go back. I can send someone there, but only one. I...want to ask you to help me save my home. I have this." The woman pulled a strange device out of her hood, made up of many interlocking metal parts with odd protrusions and buttons, "It's a one way trip for whoever uses it. But it can be used by different people. I found it...and ended up here. Will you...trade places with me?"

"Wait, what?" Auren looked between the woman and the strange device, "What's going on? This is a lot to take in all of a sudden."

"Please, I've been looking for so long. I know it's selfish of me but...when I get to know someone, I get cold feet. I can't just ask them to leave everything they have here...I'm already feeling bad about asking you. But you said you would help with no hesitation at all...and you're strong. You could do it." The woman pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion.

Auren was pretty confused at this point, but the woman's voice struck a chord with him. It just sounded so...vulnerable. Besides, there were plenty of hunters out there. His home would be safe. He took a deep breath, "Tell me more."

"My home...it's a place called Remnant."

* * *

It took a lot to fluster a man like Professor Ozpin, headmaster of the prestigious Beacon Academy located in the Kingdom of Vale. After all, he was tasked with training new generations of warriors, called Huntsmen and Huntresses, to defend Remnant from the dark creatures known as Grimm. These soulless beings existed for only one purpose: to destroy humanity. So, as you can imagine, a teacher of these fighters would be a hardened, intelligent man. But even he had no idea what to do about the fact that a literal covered wagon just appeared in the wide hallway in front of his office. The grey-haired, bespectacled coffee-lover nearly dropped his cane in surprise.

His assistant, Glynda Goodwitch, who was a teacher and an experienced huntress herself, was also quite shocked, speechless even. The pale-haired, green eyed woman nearly dropped the books she was currently holding. They'd been discussing the day's classes as they left his office, only to find the wagon taking up most of the hallway in front of them. The wagon was ancient, made of wood and covered with what looked like the hide of an animal. The wheels were old, but well cared for. It looked like an antique, all things considered.

But their initial surprise was mild compared to their reactions to a tall, fully-armored man stepping out of the wagon, coughing violently.

"Dear Gog! Talk about a rough ride..." the two educators were surprised when the tall man spoke, his voice had the unmistakable tone of a youth. He turned and spotted them. He straightened up energetically, giving off a friendly air and approached them in a few strides.

"Hello! Is this Remnant?" The boy asked as he removed his helmet, confirming that he was a young man, not even in his twenties yet.

"Is this...Remnant?" Ms. Goodwitch spoke up first, "Of course this is Remnant, where else would it be?"

"Wow! That metal thing really worked, then." The boy's face lit up, "My name's Auren, I'm a hunter from a place called...uh...you can call it Schrade, I guess. It's pretty much another world."

Auren's world didn't actually have a name, so he used the name of an old Kingdom that once spanned most of the land of his home.

"..." Professor Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch exchanged glances, wondering if they should apprehend the boy to send him to a mental hospital.

"I'm Professor Ozpin." Ozpin maintained a calm expression, "Now, could you tell me what you are doing in front of my office with an ancient vehicle?"

"Professor Ozpin! Talk about good luck!" Auren's face grew even happier, "I'm supposed to give this to you."

Auren disappeared into his wagon for a split second, emerging with a scroll. He had no idea what it was, but on Remnant, scrolls were electronic devices that were used for communication, browsing the internet, monitoring its user, and more. The teachers recognized the device instantly.

"This is..." Ozpin's eye's widened. Beside him, he heard Ms. Goodwitch give a small gasp. The scroll Auren had handed over was decorated with an engraving, poorly done, but recognizable as a certain flower. A thorny rose.

"I was told to give this to you, and wait for you to tell me what to do." Auren looked at them expectantly. Ozpin looked at the boy briefly, before powering on the scroll. It seemed to have been factory reset, aside from a single text file located on the home screen. Ozpin opened it, and both he and Ms. Goodwitch read it over.

"...?" Auren wondered what they could be doing to illicit such surprised, sorrowful expressions as they examined the odd piece of metal and glass he'd been given, but he tactfully chose to stay quiet.

"So that's what happened..." Ozpin muttered, cursing under his breath, "I never should've sent her on that mission alone."

"It wasn't your fault, headmaster. It was a simple reconnaissance mission." Ms. Goodwitch assured him. The fell into a short, mournful silence. Shaking it off, the two of them gave the message another read over, looked at one another, and nodded in agreement.

"So! Mr. Auren, I've been informed that you want to help fight the Grimm?" Ozpin said, taking on the air of a interviewer/recruiter.

"That's right! My whole job is to fight monsters, so when I heard this place could use a hand, I volunteered." Auren smiled, fondly remembering the stories the mysterious woman shared with him. Though she never revealed her face, he could tell she was still rather young, and dearly missed Remnant. His initial interest quickly turned into a resolve to help her in any way he could. It just felt right. Even though they only knew each other for a short time, Auren had told her more about himself and his past, and what he told her only made her more certain that he was the right choice.

"Still, if everything in that note is true, then you've given up everything to come here. Why? This place surely meant nothing to you last week." Ozpin pressed on, even if the message spoke highly of Auren, Ozpin wanted to see the boy's attitude himself.

"Hmm..." Auren took on a contemplative expression, "Professor Ozpin. Hunting where I come from isn't quite as serious as it is in Remnant. Not very many of us reach the point where one of our missions decides the fate of hundreds, no, thousands of people. I wouldn't wish that kind of pressure on anyone. Yet you, you and your students have to face that every day. As one of the few from my world that knows what it's like, I just want to offer my assistance. My conscience wouldn't allow me to do anything else."

"I see. And what makes you think that you'd make a difference? One person is hardly cause for a celebration." Ozpin replied, secretly impressed with Auren. The note had been right, this boy appeared to be really selfless, but not like a martyr. He seemed to genuinely feel he could help make Remnant a bit safer, and that it would make him happy to do so.

"I don't expect to be celebrated. I just want to do what I can." Auren shrugged, "I still don't know much about Remnant. She briefly talked about Aura and Dust, but I've never seen such things in action. But I know for sure that I can handle myself."

"Your friends, family?" Ozpin asked.

"I had a lot of friends, but I can make more. I won't say that I won't miss them, but being a hunter means you travel a lot. Plus, I can rest easy knowing that they're still safe, living life as they please." Auren explained, "Hunts can be dangerous, but I'll eat my shoes if any of my old partners gets done in by anything weaker than an Elder Dragon. As for my family, I haven't heard from them in years. Once we came of age, we left to pursue our dreams on good terms."

Ozpin nodded, thinking carefully and briefly pondering what an Elder Dragon was, "Alright. I'm trusting the message you carried, and the words you've just told me. I'm willing to let you stay here. But you'll have to go through an initiation, of course."

Ozpin turned to Ms. Goodwitch, "We still have the platforms set up from the beginning of the school year, right?"

"Yes sir, they haven't been taken down yet."

"Good." Ozpin turned back to Auren, "I'm afraid the school year already started two weeks ago, Mr. Auren. You'll be a bit behind, but I'm confident you will succeed. Welcome to Beacon Academy."

"Thank you very much!" Auren bowed courteously.

"But this brings me back to my very first question. What exactly is this wagon?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It has all my stuff in it."

"Is that so? Well, I'll have some employees move your luggage to a guest room then. Do you want to keep the wagon itself somewhere?"

"That's not necessary. You can break it up for wood if you want." Auren looked around before shrugging, "Well, it doesn't look like you guys have much use for wood though."

Everything around him was metal or stone, even this hallway alone was one of the more impressive structures he'd seen. The lighting was powered by electricity, generated by Dust in a faraway building. Auren still had trouble grasping the concept, even though the woman tried to explain it to him many times.

"Okay then. Ms. Goodwitch, if you could take Mr. Auren to the clinic to test his Aura out before showing him to his room, I'd be in your debt. This scroll and wagon have given me more tasks than I thought I'd have this morning." Ozpin requested, "Mr. Auren, I'll want to learn more about your world, but that can wait for a later time. It seems your world, despite being relatively peaceful, has dealt with monsters far more terrifying at first glance than most Grimm."

"No problem."

"Understood, headmaster." Ms. Goodwitch nodded to the hunter, "Let's get going."

"Yes ma'am," Auren was briefly reminded of the scholarly women he'd find in the guild's libraries. But she had a certain flame to her, one that reminded him of his fellow hunters. He instantly felt a small bond with the older lady.

"So, what do you know of Aura?" Ms. Goodwitch asked as they walked.

"It's an energy that protects you, and can be used in conjunction with these crystals called Dust in order to perform various actions based on elemental attacks." Auren recalled, "I have no idea how it works though."

"It's the strength that comes from your soul. It seems you already have your Aura unlocked, too." Glynda held up her own scroll, showing Auren's name and a green bar, "You have huge Aura reserves. How do you fight in your world?"

"We wear armor, use weapons, the standard stuff. Depending on the weapon, we can channel our strength and perform various attacks and arts in order to defeat the opponent. We're also stronger when we wear full sets of armor. Mix and matching is complicated but can be effective, but we commonly wear armor made from the same material which empowers us in different ways." Auren explained, "I don't know how I unlocked my Aura or whatever, though."

"Hmm..." Ms. Goodwitch frowned thoughtfully as they entered the clinic, "If you could change quickly into one of the extra sets of clothing here, we can begin your checkup."

"Got it." Auren picked out a basic shirt and pants, and began stripping out of his armor. Ms. Goodwitch was impressed, he was toned and didn't have any unnecessary fat. He obviously worked hard to keep in shape. She glanced down at her scroll briefly, before doing a double take in shock.

He had no Aura anymore! His bar was completely depleted.

"Mr. Auren. Are you feeling tired or sick at all?" Ms. Goodwitch asked cautiously. In general, if Aura levels changed that quickly, there should be noticeable discomfort from the person. But he didn't seem fazed at all.

"Nope, healthy as can be." Auren tilted his head questioningly, "Is something wrong?"

"Well, it appear you have no Aura reserves anymore." Ms. Goodwitch was still frowning, "Could this be a glitch of some sort?"

She put down her scroll, and picked up a scanner from the clinic. This would allow her to look more closely at Auren's Aura than a simple registered scroll entry.

"What in the world?" The scanner showed that Auren did indeed have Aura, but it was constantly dissipating from his body. It seemed to cycle continuously in and out of him, unable to form a standard barrier or be controlled. It wasn't like his body had limitless Aura and it was being wasted, it literally just kept leaving his body and returning again and again.

"Uh, I'm assuming there's something wrong with me now." Auren looked a bit nervous.

"No, it's just..." Ms. Goodwitch suddenly had an idea, "Put your armor back on, Mr. Auren."

"Okay." Auren dutifully obeyed, carefully putting his armor back on. Ms. Goodwitch brought the scanner close again, the results confirming her suspicion. Whatever the people from his world were like, it seemed their Aura had to be channeled through something in order to be controlled. His armor was storing the Aura, becoming permeated with energy and forming an invisible defensive barrier around him. His profile on the scroll was back in the green as well.

Ms. Goodwitch was surprised, it was an unexpectedly effective way to utilize Aura. His armor seemed to give off a chill as well, perhaps some variant of ice dust was used in crafting it.

"How often do you get injured in combat?"

"I get hit sometimes, but it takes quite a few before any major problems occur." Auren replied, "Our armor absorbs the hits at first, before we start getting hurt. That's just the way it's always been."

"Impressive..." Ms. Goodwitch also suspected that whatever special attacks or powers their weapons granted them, it was from their constant Aura output being channeled through the weapon. She shook her head, there would be more time to analyze him later.

"Hm, it's been confirmed that you are combat ready." Ms. Goodwitch nodded, "Let me show you to your temporary room."

"Alright." Auren agreed as the two of them left the clinic, he did want a little bit more explanation about the teacher's strange behavior in the clinic, but it wasn't a big deal to him. If she said he could fight, he could fight.

They passed through many hallways, briefly going outside before entering another part of the academy. Auren was used to big structures, but he rarely saw such fine architecture. Beacon Academy had tall towers, amazing arches, and everything was in top condition. He couldn't help but be impressed. Ms. Goodwitch, in the meantime, was reading over a message Ozpin sent her. It was the plans for Auren's initiation and his assignment to one of the teams.

"Mr. Auren, it seems like your initiation will take place tomorrow morning. It's the weekend, and we will have the team leaders watch as well. Hopefully one of them will be willing to take you in, but if not, we will find a team for you. Rest assured."

"Alright, sounds good." Auren replied nonchalantly, "What do you do in an initiation anyways?"

"You'll see." Ms. Goodwitch said mysteriously, hiding a small smile from the young hunter.

* * *

Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, was standing with the other team leaders at the edge of Beacon Cliff, overlooking the Emerald Forest. She was a small girl, younger than any of the other students because of Ozpin allowing her to skip two grades to attend Beacon Academy. Her hair was a dark black with red highlights, and she wore a dark black shirt and skirt, with matching stockings. For an accessory, she had a long red cloak complete with a hood. She was staring intently at the three people standing a little bit further from them, Professor Ozpin, Ms. Goodwitch, and the new transfer student. The girl held a huge curiosity for weaponry, and was curious about the sword and shield the transfer student was carrying. It looked like there were some extra mechanisms that wouldn't be necessary on a regular sword and shield, so she wanted to see what the student was hiding.

Standing next to her was Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR, a lanky young man with blonde hair wearing a hoodie and jeans with a basic metal cuirass over his chest. He was also watching the new student, but mainly out of jealousy. The new boy was completely covered in plate armor, complete with a kick-ass coat. His helmet was covering his face though, so Jaune couldn't be jealous of his looks. But he knew he'd be glad to accept the new student into the team, he loved meeting new people and making friends.

The only other team leader of note was one Cardin Winchester, leader of team CRDL. The big, burly boy was sizing up the new transfer student, trying to decide whether he wanted him on his team or not. It wasn't an issue of skill, really, but whether he'd be willing to submit completely to Cardin's command. If it looked like the new guy would be too much trouble, he wouldn't even ask him to join.

"So, Mr. Auren. Are you ready?" Ozpin asked.

"Ready." Auren nodded, "But, what am I doing anyways?"

"I was just about to explain." Ozpin smiled wickedly, "You will be tasked with eliminating any Grimm you find in the forest, until you have earned enough points. Afterwards, you will return to this cliff. Every Grimm species is worth a different number of points, so if you want to complete this task before the afternoon, you will have to be selective. You can track your points and check the Grimm database for point values through your scroll."

"A bounty hunt? Well, it's not my first." Auren said, understanding the mission instantly, "Is there a path I'll be following?"

"No, the entire forest is your hunting ground. Any other questions?"

"Not really."

"Good, then you will begin shortly."

"Great, where should I head to get dow- GAH!" Auren didn't get to finish as the metal platform he was currently standing on suddenly sprung up, launching him into the air. He flew in perfect arc away from the cliff.

"Headmaster, that was mean. You're being more harsh with him than the other students." Ms. Goodwitch frowned, "We don't even know if he's used to using his Aura-charged armor for dealing with large heights."

"No need to worry. If he lands properly, then good for him. If not, then he'll be missing some Aura for the rest of the hunt." Ozpin replied simply, sipping some coffee from his favorite mug, "Another cup, please."

"Are you sure we shouldn't have used a different test?" Ms. Goodwitch continued, ignoring his request, "I mean, we've received those new reports from the field about mysterious new species of Grimm. We haven't confirmed if any have appeared in the Emerald Forest."

"We'll deal with it when it happens, there's no use worrying about it now." Ozpin replied.

Meanwhile, Auren was quite surprised at his sudden launch.

"A fall from this height won't hurt at all..." He thought to himself, "But I'm trying to impress them, right? What can I do..."

If Auren had known, he would've brought a bow gun. Through the use of recoil he could make a stylish landing. But he had opted for a more versatile weapon, the Charge Blade. At first glance, the weapon appeared to be a sword and shield, but by absorbing energy as combat progressed, he could transform the sword and shield into one giant axe and unleash devastating attacks. Unfortunately, the charge blade had no use in helping him stop his fall.

Not really having any other option, he opted for a brute force landing. He drew the sword half, leaving the shield on his back, and when he approached the tallest tree in his flight path, stabbed the sword straight into the trunk, letting the friction slow his fall until he landed neatly on the ground. Taking a moment to make sure the blade wasn't chipped, he then pulled out his newly issued scroll and began reading through the list of Grimm he could hunt.

"Ugh, they're all pretty unpleasant to look at, huh?" Auren grimaced, "These Ursa and Beowolves aren't worth anything, unless I take out whole packs. Deathstalker... Nevermore...those seem like pretty prime targets."

Before he could go any further, he found himself surrounded.

"Ask and you'll get...? Or was it receive? Whatever." Auren grinned as a pack of beowolves encircled him, growling menacingly.

His predicament was on full view for the team leaders.

"Wow, I've never seen someone run into Grimm that fast in the forest before." Jaune commented.

"That's a lot of them. Even a senior could have some trouble if there's that many and they're surrounded." Ruby said worriedly. She was concerned for the new student, but she was also worried he'd send up a flare saying he conceded the initiation. She hadn't seen what his weapon could do yet!

Contrary to their expectations, the boy simply pulled out his shield, and hit his sword against it tauntingly.

"Come and get me!" Auren jeered, hoping the loud noise would both unnerve the creatures and incite some of the more brave ones to attack. Which would've been the case had he been dealing with normal animals. But instead, they just advanced on him as a group, with a single-minded determination to rip him to shreds.

"Well, that's not natural. I guess you guys really are different from my monsters." Auren let a claw bounce of his shield before jabbing his sword between his assailant's ribcage. He spun round and de-limbed another one.

If there was one thing most hunters of Remnant had trouble with at first, it was getting past a Grimm's armor. Grimm were typically black creatures, covered in various white bony protrusions that served to protect them.

Beowolves themselves resembled bipedal wolves with white bone masks, and various spikes and extensions all over their bodies. Unfortunately for them, to Auren, they didn't have any protection at all. He was trained to get past the thick scales of giant dragons, break the armor of beasts with hides tougher than solid steel, and strike at the weak points of creatures hundreds of times bigger than him. This was nothing to him. After some some brutally systematic combat, efficient blocking and stabbing, the pack lay around him, disintegrating into nothingness.

Auren hoped he'd put on a decent enough show.

"He's good." Jaune once again commented. Not that he really knew how good the transfer student was. He just knew he couldn't pull off the same kind of fight that he'd just witnessed.

"I wanna see what else his weapon does!" Ruby said impatiently. Beowolves were a common Grimm, so no one had come to any real conclusions yet. But they did note how well the new guy moved. Everything he did seemed deliberate and planned, displaying a wealth of experience and confidence.

Auren was frowning as he navigated the forest. Thinking back to his earlier battle, he realized that the Grimm had no sense of self preservation. Wounded ones continued to attack, and none fled even when it was apparent that they were fighting a losing battle. He'd already been informed on the nature of the Grimm but...it just felt so...unnatural.

He was jolted out of his musings when a new Grimm appeared in front of him. It was a quadrupedal beast, the bottom half of its body covered in thick black fur, with the upper half covered completely in white bony plates. It's front limbs had long wings attached, extending backwards towards its body. With a start, Auren realized this creature was very familiar to him...

The team leaders were surprised by the appearance of this Grimm. They'd never seen anything like it before.

"What is that thing?" Jaune frowned, he'd been making an effort to learn about Grimm ever since his own initiation, but he'd never seen that Grimm in any of the reference books.

"I don't know, but it actually looks kinda cool." Ruby replied, earning some strange looks, "For a Grimm, I mean."

Ms. Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin were having a much more serious reaction.

"Headmaster, that's not a Grimm we have registered."

"Indeed..."

"We should send help as soon as possible, we don't know what it's capable of!"

"I concur. But first, I want to see how Mr. Auren reacts to it."

"Headmaster!"

"He'll be fine, didn't you say his Aura reserves once he's wearing that armor are huge?"

"But..."

"Trust me. Give him a few moments."

Auren was shocked. He knew that Grimm were considered perversions of nature. They were twisted imitations of actual wildlife, existing for only one purpose. But he hadn't expected to see Grimm versions of things he was familiar with. It was supposed to be a different world, after all. He could only quell the unease spreading through his gut. He readied his weapon, looking over the snarling creature one more time, confirming the identity of his opponent. It was one he knew very, very well.

"...A Barioth, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2: Teammates

**Hunters and Monsters**

 **Chapter 2: Teammates**

Becoming a Hunter in Auren's world did not mean having a hatred or vendetta against monsters. Monsters were just other creatures trying to live in the world, just like humans. Most hunters actually had a certain degree of respect for monsters. Very rarely did you find sheer hostility from the hunters. Because monsters weren't purely hostile to humans either. The two sides shared a certain bond, an acknowledgment of their parallel struggles for survival. There were even some hunters that refused to take the lives of monsters, opting for using tranquilizers to capture them. The guild accommodated such hunters by relocating the monsters after capture, or setting them up in safe zones for research.

But the Grimm Auren was now facing was completely different. There wasn't any instinct, any personality in the Grimm Barioth's demeanor. It wasn't a creature that was proud to have grown to adulthood, set on defending its territory and its family. It didn't have any of the wariness of a wise elder, or the blind arrogance of a young adult. It was nothing, nothing but a bundle of raw hatred and viciousness towards the young hunter. Instead of being scared or intimidated, Auren actually just grew irritated.

"I can see why everyone hates Grimm so much..." Auren growled, "You're not a Barioth. Just a sick imitation."

Almost on cue, the Grimm Barioth spun around, whipping its tail at a breakneck speed towards the young hunter. Scoffing, Auren sidestepped to get into a good angle, and simply parried the tail to the side with his shield.

"Please. You gotta have some new tricks, right?" Auren leapt forward, cutting down on its tail with a wide stroke. His sword slipped in between the scales, drawing first blood. The Grimm Barioth roared in rage and jumped backwards, baring its two saber-tooth fangs in a vengeful snarl. Auren simply straightened up again, waiting for its next move. It lunged forward, going for a bite towards Auren's upper body. The experienced hunter predicted this, rolling underneath it and slashing widely and deeply at its soft furry underbelly as he sprung back to his feet on the other side of his opponent.

The beast yelped in pain and staggered slightly, but didn't slow down as it went for a full body check. This time, Auren was caught off-guard, forgetting that the Grimm did not care about their own health. Normally, a Barioth would've backed off a little after taking a painful wound like that. The Barioth's shoulder nailed Auren, sending him flying backwards into a tree.

"Damn, that hurt..." Auren grunted and stood back up, before quickly ducking under a frontal leap that would've sent him sprawling and pinned beneath his opponent's claws. He rolled forward and sprang up in a battle stance.

Auren was still testing the waters. In general, monsters weren't just simple patterns one could memorize and react to. Every monster had its own experiences and instincts to draw on. Of course, being a Grimm had changed the Barioth's behavior quite a bit. But he was starting to get the picture. Aside from the raw hatred, it wasn't so different from fighting the younger, more reckless individuals of the species.

And that meant it was predictable.

Auren went on the offensive, taking every opportunity to slash or stab at the Grimm Barioth's soft underbelly. It growled in frustration as it attempted to bite, claw, whip, and pretty much use any kind of physical attack it could do with its agile body. But Auren knew full well what a Barioth was capable of. He seamlessly dodged, rolled, and sidestepped all of its moves.

His skill did not go unnoticed by his audience, who had quickly grasped how dangerous the new Grimm could be to an unprepared or inexperienced huntsmen or huntress. The team leaders were watching with wide eyes, while Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch analyzed both the hunter and the Grimm.

"Wait, what's up with his sword?" Ruby was watching Auren's weapon closely, the sword was giving off smoke or some other kind of gas.

"No idea." Jaune replied, looking at where Ruby was pointing. Auren suddenly did a puzzling thing, after one of his barrage of attacks he was unleashing on the Barioth, he slipped his sword into the sheath on his shield. His shield then seemed to extend on both sides for a moment, before the moving pieces slammed back into place. It was done in one fluid motion, and in the next second the blade was out and being put back to work. And it was no longer smoking. "Uh, okay, what was that?"

"I don't know either! Getting rid of some kind of dust buildup or something in the blade?" Ruby was racking her brain for any knowledge of a weapon like that. She'd already noticed that the sword and shield weren't just simple tools, but also carried some kind of machinery within them. But she had no idea what they were used for. Then they noticed Auren was blocking the creature's attacks more, rather than dodging them. To their surprise, the shield now seemed to be glowing with what looked like...Aura?

Just what in the world was going on?

Meanwhile, the creature decided it'd had enough, and jumped away from Auren to create distance. A more reckless hunter may have chosen to press the attack at this moment, believing the Grimm Barioth was on the defensive and retreating. But once again, Auren knew this trick. The Grimm Barioth reared back, taking a deep breath, then expelling a powerful force of icy air from its throat. Even Auren didn't know exactly it worked, but he knew the attack. As soon as the projectile reached the ground, a violent twister sprouted up. It was a tornado of blizzard winds, the suction was immense and anything caught in it was sliced up by both shards of ice and the sheer speed of the wind. The twister moved on its own, ripping up trees and cutting off one of Auren's flanks.

"That's...more potent than normal." Auren frowned, filing away the slight change for later use. He knew that the Barioth used this attack as a diversion and in order to restrict the movement of their prey. The twister wouldn't be aimed directly at him. The Barioth reared its head back, and repeated its action, summoning another twister that went to Auren's other side.

Thanks to the unexpectedly strong winds, Auren was now in a corridor with the Barioth, the twisters cutting off any approach on either side. No matter, he would just maintain a greater distance from the twisters than he would've before.

But Ozpin, Ms. Goodwitch, and the team leaders were having a much different reaction.

"Ms. Goodwitch." Ozpin said, his voice dead serious.

"Understood." Ms. Goodwitch ran over to the team leaders, "Leaders! Be prepared to assist the transfer student, on the headmaster's signal!"

"Got it!" Ruby drew her weapon, Crescent Rose, a transforming scythe mixed with a large sniper rifle, her eyes still fixed on the camera feed.

"W-What is that thing, Ms. Goodwitch!?" Jaune stammered out, "Is that Grimm using ice dust and wind dust? How? How can a Grimm use dust!?"

"Calm down, Mr. Arc. Just get ready." Ms. Goodwitch replied tersely.

"Okay, you're right. Calm down, Jaune, calm down." Jaune took several deep breaths, drawing his sword and making sure his shield was ready, looking back at the screen, "The guy doesn't look very scared, though."

"You're right. That's probably why the headmaster hasn't called for us yet." Ms. Goodwitch agreed. Though she didn't look like she saw eye to eye with Ozpin and his conservative actions. If she had her way, she would've gone to assist the new student already.

The other team leaders were still watching as well, weapons at the ready.

Down in the forest, Auren did a quick analysis of his current situation. His shield was charged, and in a few more strikes his sword would be charged again as well. The movement that the team leaders had noticed before was Auren discharging his weapon into his shield, strengthening it. That was the power of the Charge Blade category of weaponry, as he fought, his weapon would build up energy and empower itself. By spreading the energy between his shield and blade, he could enhance both his offense and his defense. His specific charge blade was a simplistic one, called the Elite Blade. It was standard issue among charge blade users, and while it didn't excel, it didn't under-perform, either. Especially with all the little enhancements Auren had paid his blacksmith to do.

This fight would be over soon. He just had to make sure he didn't slip up. It seemed becoming a Grimm didn't erase its intelligence entirely, as the beast was now maintaining its distance. It was attempting to keep Auren at bay with icicle projectiles shot from its mouth. He simply blocked them with his charged shield, breaking into a full sprint has he rushed the Grimm Barioth. He only needed a few more hits with his sword.

"Come here!" Auren shouted, deflecting projectiles with his shield. His opponent roared, growing frustrated at the ineffectiveness of its attacks. But it wasn't about to let the hunter close in. It began taking hops backwards, keeping itself far from Auren's blade. Auren grinned, as if he knew about the Barioth's fear. He continued his sprint, but as he ran he sheathed his weapon quickly and reached into his pouch. He pulled out a small grenade-like object, a flash bomb, meant to blind monsters. He pulled the pin and threw it, aiming at the spot right in front of the Barioth's face. The flash bomb ignited, sending a flash of light all around the area. Auren had put up his shield in front of his face, making sure he didn't blind himself. When he lowered it, he smiled at what he saw.

The Grimm Barioth was dazed by the sudden flash, and had stopped moving. Auren quickly finished closing the distance, ducking low and slashing again at its soft underbelly. He cut deeper this time, since he wasn't too worried about a counterattack. With a roar, the Barioth began striking blindly in front of it, trying to stop the painful strikes. It was actually risky to strike too much at a blinded monster, because the random thrashing could still deal a heavy blow. Auren had hoped the risk would pay off, which it did, but he was blindsided by a sudden tail sweep, sending him flying away once again. With a grimace, he realized he could only take one or two more hard hits from the Barioth before its attacks started injuring his body.

But his sword was charged. It was time to unleash the Charge Blade's signature attack. He just had to find the right timing now. The flash bomb's effects were wearing off, the Barioth shaking itself out of its daze. It sent Auren a hateful glare, he returned the look with a condescending smile. Almost imperceptibly, the Barioth glanced at the twister that was closest to its body. With a sudden jump, it thew itself into the twister, letting the wind carry it and spin it around, speeding up its velocity, then the creature launched itself right at Auren like a missile, teeth bared. This was one of its most powerful attacks. One that put many hunters out of commission. A charging body slam enhanced by the force of one of its own twisters. That kind of weight and speed would leave a person broken and dazed.

Auren couldn't have hoped for a better move.

He'd seen the Barioth's quick glance, and he knew the path it would have to take to reach him through the twister-riding tackle. At the same time the Barioth was making its move, Auren had sheathed his blade once again. But this time, it wasn't to charge his shield or activate his sword, it was time to transform his weapon. He inclined a special trigger, causing the sword to lock in with the shield. He let go of the shield as it split in half, folding around either side and extending. The end result was a long battleaxe, the blades made up of hidden sharpened edges within the shield.

"DID HIS SWORD AND SHIELD JUST TURN INTO A GIANT AXE!?" Ruby screamed in delight, "THAT WAS SO COOL!"

But Auren wasn't done yet. In the seconds of the transformation, the Barioth was now headed right at him, launched from the twister. He braced himself, pressing yet another trigger on his weapon, causing the axe-end of the weapon to begin spinning rapidly, like a spinning saw. He swung his entire weapon in a huge overhead arc down right onto the Barioth's head before it could hit him. His Charge Blade released all its energy right at the moment of contact, causing a huge explosion and a sickening crunch as the axe quite literally erased the Barioth's head.

Auren released the transformation trigger as he brought his weapon back towards his body, separating it back into sword and shield, returning to his original stance. Like the other Grimm, the Grimm Barioth's body was dissipating before his eyes. "Well, I guess I'm not getting any loot from that."

A beeping from his scroll got his attention. Activating it, he saw that he had gotten all the points he needed for the initiation in one go.

"Wha- Really!? That's great!" Auren was smiling with surprise. He slung his shield back onto his back, with sword in its sheath. He began heading back towards the cliff where the initiation began.

Ozpin observed Auren and the route he was taking, and confirmed he should be able to make it back just fine.

"What did I tell you, Ms. Goodwitch? The boy seemed to know what he was doing, and behold, he did know what he was doing."

"There's still the problem of the entirely new Grimm that just used dust-based attacks." Ms. Goodwitch sniffed, "What if he'd been hurt, or he couldn't handle the monster?"

"If it was something unknown or something he couldn't handle, I'm sure the boy would've ran. He doesn't seem to be the type to pick pointless fights." Ozpin countered.

"That's a lot of faith for a boy who's barely 18 years of age." Ms. Goodwitch countered right back.

"Please, you and I both know age is not a tell-all."

"...Fine. But I have to insist that you pay more attention to the reports about the new Grimm now."

"Oh, I plan to. I'm sure that beast would've done quite a bit more damage if it hadn't been Mr. Auren fighting." Ozpin said, his eyes returning to the screen showing Auren traversing through the forest. He then took out his scroll opened some of the reports he had saved onto it before leaving his office that morning. He frowned in contemplation as he read them over.

In the mean time, the team leaders were also having their own discussion.

"I. Need. To. See. His. Weapon." Ruby declared to Jaune.

"Well I never want to fight what he just fought." Jaune sighed, ignoring Ruby, "I wonder if he'd wanna join my team?"

"No way! I want dibs on the cool weapon guy!"

"It's his choice! I mean, we have to invite him and all, but after that I'm sure he'll get invitations from everyone..."

"Hm...then, I'll just have to show him that Team RWBY is the best!"

Cardin Winchester was standing on his own, silently thinking about how he'd get the mysterious and strong transfer student to join his team. He could use some muscle like that, for sure.

At this moment, Ms. Goodwitch approached the team leaders, "You will be meeting Mr. Auren at lunch. It was originally supposed to be dinner, but seeing as how quickly his test has ended, we decided it would be best to get him sorted out as soon as possible. The footage of the test has been uploaded to all of your scrolls, go back and review it with your teammates, and decide if you would like to extend an invitation to Mr. Auren. Dismissed."

"""Understood!""" The team leaders replied in unison, dispersing immediately.

By the time Auren made it back up the cliff (he hated climbing), the team leaders were already gone. "Where'd the other students go?"

"They've gone to discuss your initiation and see if they wish to invite you to their teams. But first, I have some questions for you, Mr. Auren." Ozpin greeted him, "Oh, before that, congratulations on passing the initiation with flying colors."

"Thank you." Auren bowed slightly as a show of respect, "What'd you want to ask me about?"

"Have you seen that creature before?"

"The last one? Yeah. It looked like a Grimm version of one of the monsters you could find in the colder regions of my home. It's called a Barioth." Auren explained.

"It used ice elemental attacks on you, is that normal?"

"Hm? Yeah, all of 'em could use those attacks." Auren grinned, "Still predictable, even as a Grimm."

"You've hunted a lot them, I take it?" Ozpin took a sip of coffee from the mug that never seemed to leave his hand.

"You could say that. This armor is made up of Barioth parts." Auren gestured to himself, "I love it. Comfortable, cool, easy to move in."

"Understood. Last question for now. Do these look familiar to you too?" Ozpin handed his scroll over to the young hunter. On the screen were blurry pictures of Grimm.

"Hmm...oh yeah, that's definitely a Tigrex. Uh, that could be...yeah, I think I know that one." Auren concentrated on examining the pictures, "I think most of these are monsters I know of, Professor."

"I see..." Ozpin gave a thoughtful frown, "Mr. Auren, it seems you will need to not only act as a student, but as a teacher as well."

"...Eh?" Auren's eyes widened, "Um, I don't have any teaching experience, sir."

"Don't worry. You won't be asked to do anything complex. We just want you to talk about the monsters from your world, and how we could go about fighting the Grimm versions of them." Ozpin explained, "I'll come up with a cover story for you to follow. You will most likely be assisting a teacher named Professor Port in his Grimm Anatomy class."

"Well...if you say so..." Auren shrugged, he'd just have to do as he's asked, "I take it these types of Grimm aren't common or something?"

"I've never seen them before in my life. These pictures just came in in the past few days." Ozpin replied flatly, "Shortly before you arrived. The only one with any knowledge of them is you, Mr. Auren."

"...No pressure, I guess."

"For now, go back to your room and prepare for lunch. We'll have to get you into a team. The other first-year students will meet you at the dining hall."

"Understood."

"Ah, one last thing, we need to talk about how to explain your armor and weaponry in terms of Aura. That way you have a legitimate story for the other students. Let's talk on the way."

"Okay."

"To begin with, your armor is not a big deal since its just a more external aura barrier, but with your weapons..."

* * *

Team RWBY was currently in the middle of a minor crisis.

"No! We don't even know what he's like!" Weiss Schnee said, she was an upper-class girl who was heiress to the Schnee Dust Company from the Kingdom of Atlas. She had white hair and a matching white outfit. And she was also adamantly refusing Ruby's desire to invite the transfer student to their team. Weiss was small, only a little taller than Ruby, but she radiated a confident and knowledgeable aura, if not a bit snobbish according to others.

"But Weiss! He's good at killing Grimm, can't you see? And look at his weapon! It's like some kind of Aura-channeling transforming work of art!" Ruby whined in her childish manner. It's worth noting that Ruby skipped two years to come to Beacon, being 15 years old compared to a majority of the other first years, who were 17 years old.

"But he's still a stranger!" Weiss folded her arms indignantly, her rapier, Myrtenaster, shaking at her hip. Ruby just pouted, puffing her cheek out cutely. Even Weiss, who had a rough start with their miniature leader, had to admit she was hard-pressed to resist with such a face.

"Why don't we get to know him first? Aren't we eating lunch together?" Blake, a mature, dark-haired girl with amber eyes suggested. She was the calmest one of the group, quiet and withdrawn. She wore a black and white outfit, with a slightly out of place black ribbon in her hair.

"But he'll get stolen by some other team! I know Jaune wants to get his grubby mitts all over the new guy's weapons." Ruby squinted and wiggled her fingers for emphasis.

"His name's Auren, by the way. It says so right there." Blake pointed at the name of the video.

"Oh, you're right." Ruby and Weiss both looked where Blake was pointing, then looked at one another and shrugged.

"Regardless, we can't expect to work with a stranger all of a sudden while the four of us still need to improve on our own teamwork!" Weiss said. She had a point, but it only made Ruby more stubborn.

"Yang~~~! Help me out!" Ruby called out to her sister, a buxom blonde brawler with violet eyes, who was currently reading a magazine on her bed.

"He's good at fighting, right? Then no problems here!" Yang answered, yawning and reaching for a bag of chips, "Besides, he looks like he'd be fun to hang with."

"Looks? You can't even see his face!" Weiss protested.

"C'mon, you can tell from how he fights. He enjoys it. Plus, he's tall and manly." Yang purred, "And I definitely don't mind that~."

"You two aren't taking this seriously at all, are you?" Weiss groaned, "We can't just add people to the team just because you feel like it!"

"Everyone!" Blake stopped the repeating argument, then sighed in a chiding tone, "I think we should go meet the guy. But Ruby, and by extension, Yang, don't smother him. And Weiss, give him a chance. We haven't even met him yet. But Ruby should definitely be the one to invite him, since she's our fearless leader."

"Well, okay. But I really want him on the team." Ruby conceded, still making sure her already apparent stance was known.

"Alright. It's not like I have a grudge against him or something." Weiss followed suit with a mutter, rubbing her temples in consternation.

The girls all left to go to the dining hall together. Despite their quite different personalities, the team was actually shaping up to be one of the best of the year, and Ozpin secretly hoped that the skilled Auren would accept their invitation.

* * *

Auren felt kind of bad. It was only once he saw how little space was left in his guest room for 4 that he'd realized how much stuff he'd brought with him in the wagon. He gave a silent thanks for whoever was ordered to move his things, and then decided to send Ozpin a message.

In it, he requested that he could continue using the guest room even after receiving a dorm assignment in order to store his things. The request was immediately approved, much to Auren's surprise and pleasure.

He'd brought along a few weapons for each category of weaponry used in his world. With 14 categories, that meant he had a lot of weapons, made apparent by the fact that the space previously occupied by three beds was filled by school-provided weapon racks. He also brought along some spare armor sets and underclothing.

His signature blue item box was sitting in the corner, well, taking up most of the corner. In it, he kept all the tools and supplies a proper hunter should have, along with the ingredients to make more. Though, he hoped there was source of ingredients somewhere on Remnant, so he wouldn't be limited to what he managed to bring.

After taking inventory and making sure he knew where everything was, it was almost time for lunch. He'd been advised that wearing armor 24/7 was typically not normal at the academy, so he had asked for a set of casual clothing. In one of the dressers, he found an assortment of colored t-shirts and some pairs of jeans to wear. He changed into a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. But the light clothing made Auren feel a bit exposed, so he decided to mix things up a little bit. He put on the coat from his Barioth X set of armor, without any of the external plating, making it look like a stylish overcoat. There were some hiking boots in the dresser as well, so he chose those over any of the pairs of greaves he had.

As for weaponry, he decided to stick his favorite pair of dual blades into his belt on his jeans. Dual blades were small and usable at close ranges, making them ideal for indoor combat. The two he selected were beautiful purple tanto with pink floral patterns, the name for the pair being Evening Dusk. Both were forged from the materials of a water serpent dragon called the Mizutsune, an elegant creature known for its ability to use slippery foam as both a form of offense and defense. Just like he had a soft spot for Barioth armor, Auren had a soft spot for Mizutsune weaponry. But he enjoyed them more as ornamental pieces, only using them if the situation called for a water-element weapon.

Now properly dressed, he headed for the dining hall. Upon entering said dining hall, he was immediately noticed by everyone present, which consisted of the other first year students. The first year teams had gotten together a bit earlier than the normal dining hall hours, so that they could talk to the transfer student.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, Cardin Winchester had already seen to it that most of the other teams wouldn't go after Auren. He wanted to make sure that the competition was thinned out, so he used the ancient tactics of intimidation and coercion to achieve his goals. Or in basic school terms, he bullied the other team leaders into giving up on Auren. Unfortunately for him, there were still people he couldn't influence, and Auren was immediately accosted by a small, energetic girl.

"Hey! Auren, right? I'm Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you! Your weapon is super cool!" Ruby said excitedly, before being dragged away by an annoyed Weiss. He was then greeted by Yang and Blake.

"What's up hotstuff? We're Ruby's teammates on Team RWBY, I'm Yang Xiao Long and she's Blake Belladonna. I'm also Ruby's sis. Don't worry! She's only this hyper half of the time." Yang introduced herself with a confident grin, with Blake nodding her head quietly. Yang took the opportunity to look the boy up and down now that she could see his face. He was quite a bit taller than them, broad-shouldered, and pretty good-looking. Not to mention he had a snazzy coat.

"Uh, I'm Auren." Auren replied, before realizing they were waiting for a full name. He quickly remembered the family name he and Ozpin decided to use for his records, the name of his hometown and the last location he'd seen in his world. "Auren Tanzia. Nice to meet you."

"We were wondering if you'd eat lunch with us. We saw your initiation, and we want to learn more about you, if you don't mind." Blake explained politely, "We normally eat with another team, called Team JNPR. They want to meet you too."

"I don't mind. Lead the way." Auren let himself be taken one of the tables, occupied by a certain Weiss who was scolding Ruby, and four other students. Auren vaguely recalled seeing Ruby at the cliff, meaning she was the team leader for Team RWBY, and he also remembered seeing the blonde kid, meaning that he was the leader of Team JNPR. But it was one of Jaune's teammates that started talking to him first. A ginger-haired girl with shining aqua eyes.

And boy, he had thought Ruby was energetic. He was wrong.

"Wowza, you're the guy with the exploding axe-sword-shield thing, right!? I'm Nora Valkyrie, great to meetcha! Listen, we think it'd be pretty cool to have you around, y'know. Since you can explode things and stuff, which is awesome, by the way. But it's your choice. So no hard feelings if you don't want to. But it'd make Jaune pretty happy. Oh, you probably don't know who Jaune is. He's the blonde guy with his head down on the table. I don't know why he's doing that. Hey Jaune! Are you okay? Well, either way, he's our great team leader. Do you know how teams work? You see-" Her machine gun barrage of conversation was cut off by another member of Team JNPR cupping her mouth shut from behind. He was a black-haired boy wearing a green oriental outfit, with bright pink eyes.

"Um, sorry about that. Nora can be a bit noisy, but she means well. I'm Lie Ren, nice to meet you." The boy said apologetically.

"Auren Tanzia. Likewise." Auren shook his head, clearing it of the jumbled mess from Nora he'd been trying to process, and took a seat by Ruby and Weiss while Blake and Yang settled in opposite of them. Next to them was Nora and Ren. To Auren's immediate right was a face-down Jaune, and the last member of Team JNPR.

"I'm Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure." She introduced herself. Pyrrha was dressed in bronze colored armor, and had shockingly red hair in a ponytail, coupled with deep emerald eyes. She extended her hand over the face-down Jaune's back for a handshake. Auren returned the gesture, noting how firm Pyrrha's grip was. She was definitely a warrior of some sort.

As they began to dig in, Weiss finally finished scolding Ruby on how a leader should behave. The scythe-wielder immediately did a 180 in place and started talking to Auren.

"You didn't bring your weapon with you?" Ruby asked curiously, disappointment plain on her face.

"You dunce, you're not supposed to bring your weapon to the dining hall!" Weiss reminded her.

"It's not like anyone can see it. And I don't normally do this either, but I wanted to compare!" Ruby pulled out the folded form of Crescent Rose with a pout.

"Put that away! What if one of teachers saw you?" Weiss demanded exasperatedly. During this, Blake was silently eating, while Yang laughed cheerily and turned to a now frozen Auren.

"Uh, what's wrong?" Yang asked him.

"No one told me you shouldn't bring weapons into the dining hall." Auren replied, glancing around.

"But you didn't...?" Yang tilted her head, not seeing the sword and shield Auren used before strapped to his back.

"I brought these." Auren pulled out Evening Dusk, which had been concealed along with their sheaths by his Barioth overcoat, "I hope I don't cause any issues."

"Whoa! What are those!?" Ruby's eyes widened at the finely crafted daggers.

"Oh my God! Please stop taking out weapons in the middle of a meal!" Weiss's glare shifted to Auren, who apologized quickly. Ruby, however, had had her attention completely taken away by Auren's dual blades.

"How did they even make the metal look like that? It's so pretty! And both of them are really sharp, too!"

Auren couldn't help but feel a little pride at the girl's praise for his weapons. Not because he made them, that honor belonged to the Wyvernian blacksmith he frequented, but because he too shared an appreciation for well-crafted armaments.

"Thank you, I'm sure their maker would be proud to hear that." Auren said as he sheathed the blades, hiding them from view.

"What gives, shield-bro? I thought you used that transforming thing?" Yang asked.

"I use a lot of weapons. It depends on the situation and how I'm feeling. Probably more on how I'm feeling though, since I'm pretty good with all the different ones I brought." Auren replied.

"Regarding that." Blake spoke up, her meal now finished, "Where exactly did you come from, anyways? None of the teachers said."

"Oh, I'm from a faraway place called Schrade. I'd never even heard of Vale or the other major kingdoms until I left home."

"What? Never heard of the four kingdoms?" Weiss had a look of disbelief, "What kind of backwater are you from?"

"It is a bit of a backwater compared to here, huh?" Auren said, turning quiet as he thought about how different his world was from Remnant. He had a tendency to look serious when in thought, regardless of what he was actually thinking about. So while he was just amusedly comparing the little things between the two worlds, the girls mistook his silent thinking as a mournful reminiscence.

"Weiss!" Ruby hissed, "What if his home was attacked or something?"

"Yeah, not cool, Ice Queen," Yang agreed in a whisper.

"..." Weiss looked down, a bit ashamed, "Um, Auren? Sorry for insulting your home."

"Hm?" Auren left his thoughts and looked puzzledly at the heiress, "Don't worry about it. We didn't have a lot of the technology you all have."

Weiss had a relieved expression, and attempted to continue the conversation herself, "Ahem, it seems like you fought that ice Grimm before. None of us had seen that species anywhere in the world. Are they common where you come from?"

"Kind of." Auren had a script to follow for this conversation, designed by Ozpin himself, "Actually, the reason I came here was because Professor Ozpin found out that my home was plagued by Grimm that didn't exist in most of the outside world. But they've started to spread out, so I'm here to both learn more about the rest of the world, and teach you all about the special Grimm from my home."

"So that's why you transferred in all of a sudden." Jaune joined the conversation, having recovered from his initial embarrassment from Nora's out of control speech, "Did something happen at your home? Why'd they start spreading out all of a sudden?"

"Because...they need more prey to hunt. Not much left back there." Auren felt bad lying about this. He was pretty much implying he had suffered the loss of his home, and such a story would garner undeserved sympathy from his classmates. And he was right, the other students froze at his words, unsure of what to say. "Um, don't worry too much about it. Most of us just got sick of isolation, so we left together. It's not like we were massacred or something."

That did the trick. Everyone present relaxed noticeably. Auren had added on that last part of his own accord, but it was a harmless extra bit to his story. He gave a small sigh of relief.

A sigh that did not go unnoticed by one Blake Belladonna. She was a Faunus, people with animal-traits that lived alongside normal humans in Remnant. Auren had been informed about them, but Blake was hiding her cat ears underneath the ribbon on her head. Those same ears had picked up on Auren's sigh of relief. Blake frowned, but decided not to pursue the problem, for now at least.

"So I know we've been kinda hogging you this whole time, but you wanna join Team RWBY? Or Team JNPR at least," Yang suggested, figuring now was a better time to ask than any.

"I'd be glad to join one of your teams." Auren replied, "But I'm not sure which to choose."

"You're better off joining my team." A new voice sounded from behind them. Everyone turned to see Cardin Winchester, looking as smug and confident as ever.

"What do you want, Cardin?" Pyrrha spoke up first with thinly veiled hostility. She was pretty sure Cardin had been bullying Jaune recently, and though today hadn't been bad due to the stir caused by Auren's arrival, she was sure the peace wouldn't last.

"Nothing at all from you, just came to see the new guy." Cardin clapped Auren on the back, "Name's Cardin Winchester. I'm the leader of Team CRDL. We could use a strong guy like you on our team. We're seriously aiming for the top, not like little red riding hood and Jauney-Boy here."

Ruby gave an indignant shout, while Jaune had been looking at the floor since Cardin first announced himself. Auren immediately frowned, his brow furrowing. He didn't like the way this boy was talking. It reminded him of how some of the washed out senior hunters would sometimes talk to the greenhorns at the guild.

"I'm sorry, I've already decided on either Team JNPR or Team RWBY." Auren politely declined.

"Aw, don't be that way. We're cool, you'd fit right in. Jauney-Boy knows, right?" Cardin clapped Jaune on the back too, making the blonde sputter.

"Y-Yeah, they're cool and friendly." Jaune agreed hesitantly in a low tone. Everyone at the table looked at him in disbelief.

"See? Give it some thought. Let me take you over to meet the guys." Cardin attempted to make Auren stand in a friendly manner, but he found the young hunter glued firmly to his seat.

"I already gave you my answer," Auren said flatly, growing more irritated.

"Well let's go say hi at least." Cardin tried to make Auren stand with some more force, grabbing him by the arm. But Auren replied by grabbing Cardin's wrist.

"That's enough." Auren shot his own glare at the bully. But he hoped it wouldn't escalate into a fight, since he had little experience fighting other people. Luckily, he remembered something an old hunting partner of his had told him.

"Auren, you look super scary when you're focusing on a hunt. I thought you were gonna kill me or something." Apparently Auren's face was terrifying when he hunted monsters, something most people don't notice unless his face was exposed by whatever headpiece he was wearing at the time. He could only hope this trick would work on Cardin.

Auren focused on Cardin's face, imagining that the Grimm Barioth was right there. He remembered all of its moves, the way it acted, and the sounds it made. He prepared himself mentally as if he was about to fight it for real. His heart rate rose, he could feel his body tense up, as if it was ready to react to anything the Barioth could do. He didn't know what kind of expression he was making, but Cardin released his arm, and grew a bit pale.

"You'll regret this later. My team's the winning team." Cardin spat, before turning and fleeing back to his team.

"Wow, good job." Yang commented, "That prick got scared just by you looking at him."

"I wanna break his legs!" A now-released Nora declared.

"Um...sorry guys, I just remembered something I have to do." Jaune suddenly stood up, turning to Auren, "You should join Team RWBY. You'll do good with them."

With that, the blonde left them.

"I'm going after him." Pyrrha said as she watched him leave, standing up to follow.

"Me too!" Nora declared.

"Excuse us," Ren said to Team RWBY and Auren, before turning to follow Nora while shaking his head.

The table lasped into silence as Team JNPR left. Auren was the first to speak up, "I'm sorry. It looks like I ruined your lunch."

"Hey, don't worry about it big guy," Yang reassured him, "Team JNPR will be just fine. As for Cardin, he's the one that ruined lunch, not you."

"Yeah. He's a big jerk!" Ruby added helpfully. Blake and Weiss nodded in agreement.

"So, you joining Team RWBY or what?" Yang asked.

"If everyone is okay with it," Auren nodded, "I'd like to join Team RWBY."

"Yay!" Ruby nearly jumped with happiness. She turned to Yang, who gave a thumbs up. Then Blake, who nodded approvingly. And lastly Weiss, who rolled her eyes, but gave a curt nod. "Welcome to Team RWBY! Can I see your weapon collection now?"

At this, Ruby's teammates facepalmed, while Auren smiled.

Hunting with these girls was going to be interesting.


End file.
